Printing mechanism synchronizer



y 6 1952 J. G. MOKAY 2,595,279

PRINTING MECHANISM SYNCHRONIZER Filed July 51, 1948 Patented May 6, 1952 UNITED STATES "TENT OFFICE Application July 31,

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates generally to the construction of a device for automatically applying numbers to a movin line of packages, and more specifically is directed to improvements in such device whereby the imprint on each package will be made at a predetermined location thereon and with identical spacing from a reference edge thereof.

Reference may be had to my co-pending application Serial No. 789,239, filed December 2, 1947, now Patent No. 2,562,627 July 31, 1951, for Device for Printing Characters on Moving Packages for a detailed explanation of the device upon Which my present invention comprises an improvement.

In the printing of code dates upon moving packages it is desirable that the imprint be positioned at a predetermined place on the package. For example, on small packages the text of matter carried upon the package, or instructions may interfere with dates or other information printed upon the packages where the date has been placed over the text. Usually in cases of this kind a definite and predetermined space is alloted upon the package for the placement of the code date numbers therein.

It is therefore the primary object of this invention to provide simple and yet effective means whereby the code date or other information desired may be imprinted on each of a moving line of packages at the exact same spot without in any way interfering with the efficiency and speed of operation of the code dating device.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a novel and improved device which may be attached to a code dating device having a rotating printing wheel bearing a plurality of numberers thereon adapted to provide a. plurality of printing points about the wheel.

Other objects of the invention lie in the provision of a device for synchronizing the imprinting of code dates or other characters at the same position on each package of a moving line of packages as the packages move past the printing mechanism which will be readily adjustable, economical to construct and install, and substantially fool-proof in operation.

Certain other objects of the invention as well as many of the advantages will become apparent as the description proceeds. I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, although it should be obvious that various changes in the size and minor details of the structure may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

1948, Serial No. 41,805

Referring to the drawings in which the same characters of reference are employed to indicate corresponding or similar parts throughout the several figures of the drawings:

Fig; 1 is a side elevational view of a printing mechanism having my new synchronizing device attached thereto and showing same in the process of printing code dates upon packages of a moving conveyor line.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to that of Fig. 1 but taken on a smaller scale and showing the position of the printnig mechanism just prior to the engagementof the edge of a moving package with the edge of the printing wheel of the printing l mechanism.

Fig. 3 is a sectional View taken through the printing mechanism along the line 3-3 of Figure 4 and in the direction indicated.

Fig. 4 is a front elevational View of a printing mechanism having my synchronizing device associated therewith.

My invention is intended to be an attachment for a printing mechanism which comprises means for rotating a printing wheel having numberers thereon, upon a line of moving packages and against the face of each package whereby the numberers will print the groups of characters on each package. In installing such a device it has been necessary to adjust the distance between *the moving packages so that at least one group of numbers or characters will be imprinted upon each package. Due to the nature of such printing devices it is required that the printing wheel run freely and hence it is practically impossible to assure synchronization between the speed of the movement of the package line and the rate of rotation of the printing wheel.

My new invention provides a detent device which will always return the printing wheel to a given position poised for the engagement of a package therewith so that by properly adjusting the position of the detent with respect to the position of the type provided on the printing wheel, the position of imprinting, i. e. the place where the printing point will kiss the package urface relative to the engaging edge of the package will be the same for each package. In effect my device causes a recovery of the printing wheel to a properly poised position after each printing operation.

Referring now to the drawings the reference character Ill designates generally a cclamp of common type attached to a bracket II which carries a frame [2 having a printing wheel I 3 and an inking wheel l4 attached thereto in a manner described in my co-pending application above referred to. The printing mechanism further includes a pressure devicel and a stop device 16 so that the normal position of the printing mechanism when not engaged upon a package is as shown in Figure 2 with the lower periphery of the printing wheel [3 extending below the plane of the printing surface of the packages P. The printing mechanism is biased into this position by the pressure device l5 so that when the package P engages said edge of the printing wheel it will raise the wheel 13 rotating the frame l2 about the shaft 25, so that as the printing wheel 13 revolves, riding over the surface of the package P it will be pressed thereagainst.

Although the details of my printing mechanism have been described in my co-pending application I am repeating sufficient of such details herein in order to present a clear and understandable picture of my new invention which is intended to be associated with such printing mechanism without major changes in the construction thereof.

The clamp it is secured to the platform IQ of the conveyor upon which a belt 2| passes having packages P spaced therealong. In Fig. 1 such packages are intended to move towards the left as indicated by the arrow. The upper end of the bracket ll includes a shaft arranged at right angles thereto and having the plates 25 and 21 rotatively mounted thereon. Said plates are held in spaced relationship by spacer rod 28 as well as by the shafts of the printing wheel I3 and the inking wheel I4. The inking wheel consists of a freely rotatable member having a porous disk sandwiched between a pair of cups 36 each provided with inwardly facing annular gripping portions 37. The inking wheel I4 is adjustably mounted in the slots 33 provided in the plates 26 and 27. The printing Wheel I3 is adjustably mounted in slots 34 of plates 26 and 2'! and consists of a pair of disks and 6|, which may have milled edges in order to assure gripping the surface upon which the characters are to be printed. Said disks mount a plurality of numberers 62 each facing the circumference of said printing wheel l3 and having the type thereof slightly protruding. As the wheel l3 rotates the type 63 will be inked at the top of the printing wheel l3 while the type at the bottom of the wheel I3 is engaging the package P.

In order to assure that the position of imprint will be identical for each package I have secured to the plate 21 an elongated member Ill by means of a clamp H mounted upon a bolt and nut assembly 12. The end of the member 16 opposite to the clamp H is free but is urged in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 3 about the bolt and nut assembly 12 by means of a coiled spring 73 secured to the plate 21 at M and having a hook 75 engaging one of the notches 16 provided intermediate the ends of the member 10. It will be seen that the amount by which the memberlii will be biased depends upon the notch position of the hook 15 of the spring 13.

The printing wheel I3 is mounted for rotation between the centers 5! and 52 and rotates with bushings 53. Secured to one bushing and rotatable with printing wheel 13 there is provided a plate 1? of generally rectangular construction and having a ball-bearing mounted roller TB secured at each corner thereof by the bolts '19 as shown in Fig. 3. The size of the rollers 18 is such that they extend beyond the outermost edges of the plate 11. Said rollers are aligned with the member 10 as viewed in Fig. 4 so that the pressure of the spring 73 which causes the member 10 to be biased, tends to prevent rotation of the plate i1 and consequently prevents as well rotation of the printing wheel I3.

By means of the construction above described it will be noted that the printing wheel always attempts to assume a position where two rollers are engaged against the member 70. If an operation is completed with the printing wheel poised so that two rollers are not engaged against the member Til, the printing wheel will be urged either to one side or the other of whatever roller 18 is engaged, by the member 10 until a condition of equilibrium is reached. Attention is directed to the nut 88 whereby the relative angular position of the plate member H with respect to the printing wheel 13 may be adjusted. By loosening thisnut and rotating the plate Tl any position may be attained.

t is essential for the operation of my device that the number of rest positions be equal to the quantity of numberers 62 carried by the printing wheel 13. The distance between the packages need not be critical inasmuch as by reason of my device each time a package has been imprinted the printing wheel will re-poise itself for the proper spacing of the imprint. In Fig. 2, I have shown the printing mechanism adjusted so that regardless of where the printing wheel :3 is positioned when an operation has been completed it will re-poise itself so that the edge ill of the moving package P will engage the wheel ill at the point 82. As the package moves forward engaging the edge of the Wheel l3 raising the printing device and rotating the wheel in a clockwise direction the edge 8| moves forward until the center of the numberer 62 is directly over the point where it is desired to imprint the date. The printing point on wheel 13 is designated 83 and the position of printing on package P is designated 84. As the package P moves forward the printing wheel 13 continues to rotate, but when the package leaves engagement with the edge of the printing wheel, the synchronizing device described above will cause the printing wheel to assume a position similar to that shown in Fig. 2, awaiting the arrival of the next package.

It will be seen from the above description that I have devised a novel and improved method for insuring perfect synchronization between the printing device and the moving line of packages whereby the printing point 83' adjacent any of the numberers 82 when imprinting characters upon one of the moving packages will always engage said package at the point 84 regardless of the rotational position of the printing wheel after having left the surface of the previous 0 moving package.

Although I have shown my device associated with a printin wheel having four numberers it is obvious that my device is applicable to a printing wheel having any number of printing assemblies associated therewith, it being only necessary to have the same number of rest positions upon the plate Ti. It may even be feasible to utilize a synchronizing device having a lesser number of rest positions, providing they are a multiple of the total number of printing positions of the printing wheel [3.

It is believed that my invention, its mode of construction and assembly. and many of its advantages should be readily understood from the foregoing without further description, and it should also be manifest that while a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described for illustrative purposes, the structural details are nevertheless capable of wide variation within the purview of my invention as defined in the appended claim.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

In a printing mechanism having a freely rotatable printing wheel with a plurality of printing points circumferentially spaced thereabout adapted to engage the surface of one package of a line of spaced packages moving past the wheel and in rolling engagement therewith,

means for synchronizing the position of printing on the package surface with engagement thereof by a printing point on said wheel comprising a plate member adjustably secured to and rotatable with said printing wheel, a plurality of circumferentially arranged freely rotatable rollers secured to said plate and protruding therefrom, the number of rollers being equal to the number of printing points, an elongate rectilinear member fixedly secured relative to said rollers and having a resilient arm with a flat surface adapted to engage said rollers, a plurality of notches spaced along said member intermediate the ends thereof, a spring selectively engaged in any one of said notches for biasing said flat surface into engagement with said rollers with a pressure determined by the position of the notch whereby said flat surface will bear against said rollers to rotate said plate member from an unstable position in which said flat surface is bearing against only one roller to a position wherein said fiat surface engages against a pair of said rollers, said plate member adapted to be adjusted angularly relative to said wheel.

JAMES G. McKAY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,383,552 McDonough July 5. 1921 2,041,574 Smallen May 19, 1936 2,195,135 Serai Mar, 26, 1940 

